Racing game apparatus with magnetically controlled selector drum



,1969 w. c. ROYSTON 3,462,152

RACING GAME APPARATUS WITH MAGNETICALLY CONTROLLED SELECTOR DRUM FiledJuly'21. 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 TRiAL ADVANCE v INVENTOR WILLIAM c.ROYSTON MMM/W ATTORNEYS Aug. 19, 1969 w, c. ROYSTON v RACING GAMEAPPARATUS WITH MAGNETICALLY CONTROLLED SELECTOR DRUM Filed July 21. 19673 Sheets-Sheet :5

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INVENTOR WILLIAM c. ROYSTON ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl.273-134 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A game apparatus comprisinga playing board having indicia thereon defining an oval race track, toyvehicles adapted to be moved about the track, indicia on the playingsurface defining charts indicating the vehicle posltlon, repair pits andtroubles which may be encountered, two markers color matched with eachvehicle, one adapted to be placed on the charts for indicating therelative positions of the vehicles, and the other adapted to be placedon the trouble chart to indicate a particular kind of trouble, and arotatable drum having indicia thereon arranged in two columns, oneindicating either an advance or a pit stop and the other indicatingparticular kinds of trouble requiring a pit stop, said drum beingrotatable within a housing having aligned windows for exposing saidindicia, said drum provided with magnetically permeable lugs secured tothe periphery of the drum and a magnet secured adjacent the periphery ofthe drum to bring the drum to a stop, after being spun, only at selectedpositions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionpertains to games and more particularly to games of the type whichinclude a board and movable pieces adapted to be moved about on theplaying board.

Description of the prior art Game boards and game boards with movablepieces adapted to be moved about and positioned on the playing surfaceof the game board are well known in the SUMMARY In brief summary, thegame disclosed herein comprises a playing boa-rd which has a surfaceprovided with indicia defining a plurality of oval racetracks, aplurality of movable toy vehicles for movement around the race tracks,indicia defining a chart for recording the progress of the vehicles,indicia defining a chart for indicating the condition of the vehiclesduring the game, movable pieces to place on the charts to give a properindication, and a rotatable drum which has magnetic means for bringingit to a stop after being spun only in selected positions, said drumbeing provided with indicia thereon which are displayed through openingsin a drum cover to control the progress of the game during play.

It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide an improvedgame for simulating the action of an automobile race.

A further object is the provision of a rotatable drum 3,462,152 PatentedAug. 19, 1969 carrying indicia thereon for controlling the progress ofan automobile race game wherein movable vehicles are moved about on aspeedway.

An important object and feature of the invention is the provision ofmagnetic stop means on a rotatable drum for bringing the drum, whichcarries indicia, to a stop only at selected positions.

The over-all combination, the specific features thereof, and theindividual elements as shown in the drawings and disclosed hereinafteralso constitute important objects of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of thegame board of this invention showing the rotary drum in positionadjacent an end thereof.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical view in partial cross section and cutaway to showthe rotatable drum as it would appear from the outside with the cover inplace thereover.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical end view in cross section showing theconstruction of the rotary drum and taken substantially along line 33 inthe direction of the arrows as shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an end elevational view of the entire playing board shown inpartial cross section and taken substantially along line 44 in thedirection of the arrows as shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a side view of a portion of the rotary drum showing thecover thereof and a supporting base therefor in cross section and takenapproximately along line 5-5 as shown in FIGURE 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In general, the game disclosedherein comprises a game board 10 having indicia defining a plurality ofoval race tracks 12, 14 and 16 thereon with a start and stop line 18extending transversely of the tracks. The tracks form a speedway for aplurality of movable toy vehicles shown at 20 and 20 and numberedsequentially from 1 to 6, or such other numbers as may be desired. Thetracks are generally oval in shape, having two parallel straightportions and arcuate portions at each end of the straight portions inthe manner of a conventional race track. Each of the tracks is dividedinto a plurality of individual sections, each section being adapted toreceive one vehicle. It will be noted that the inside lane 12 includesonly 18 spaces while the intermediate lane 14 includes 20 spaces and theouter lane 16 includes 22 spaces corresponding approximately to thedifference in length in the conventional race track between the innerand outer lanes thereof. This difference is only one facet of the gamewhich provides a striking and interesting realism in play.

During the course of play, the individual vehicles 20 and 20' are movedabout the track according to a method of play which will be describedhereinafter.

Indicia on the playing surface also define a chart 25 for indicating therelative position of the vehicles. Such a chart, preferably, includes acolumn corresponding to the vehicle number and a column corresponding tothe number of the laps which the vehicle has traversed. Such columns areindicated at, respectively, 22 and 24.

A chart 26 is also defined by indicia on the surface corresponding torepair pits for the individual vehicles. A chart 28 is provided on thesurface and has columns headed by indicia indicating GAS, ENG, and TIREto indicate various forms of trouble which may be encountered in thegame which may cause a vehicle to be delayed. The mode of use of suchcharts will be disclosed in greater detail hereinafter.

The physical construction of the board is best shown in FIGURE 4 whereinthe playing surface is formed upon an upper planar member 30 which issupported by a plaurality of frame members shown at 32 and 34 above abase member 36. A frame member 38 and side frames 40 and 42, with theframe member 32, define the edges of the playing board and, further, theside frames to, 42 and frame members 34, 38 define a recess 44 proximatean end of the playing surface.

A rotatable selector mechanism in recess 44 shown generally at 50includes a base 52 which supports a rotatable drum 54 by means ofsupport members 56 and 58. As best shown in FIGURES 3 and 5, a shaft 60is journalled in the support members 56 and 58 and is provided at itsends with knobs 62 and 64 which, as will be described, are provided forspinning the shaft 69 and consequently the drum. The drum comprises acylindrical member 66 which is supported by rods 68 from shaft 6%.

A very important feature of the invention resides in the provision of aplurality of magnetically permeable lugs 70 which are disposed at spacedintervals about the periphery of the drum. The operation and function ofthese magnetically permeable lugs will be described in greater detailhereinafter. The ends of the cylinder are closed by members 72 and 74 toform a closed cylindrical drum supported by the shaft 60 which isrotatable in the end support members 56 and A cover 80 which includes aplurality of openings therethrough 82, 84 and 86 which are, preferably,in alignment as indicated in FIGURE 2, extends over the drum and coversthe greater portion thereof. The cover 81 is secured by any desiredsecuring means, shown generally at 88 as screws, to the base 52. Indiciaare also provided on the drum which may selectively be displayed throughthe openings 82, 84 and 86. Similarly, indicia are provided on the cover80 adjacent the openings 82, 84 and 86 to indicate the subject matterbeing displayed therethrough.

A magnet 90 is mounted in the base 52 adjacent the periphery of the drumsuch that the magnetically permeable lugs 70 must pass in closeproximity thereto as the drum is rotated. Of course, it will beunderstood that a fully equivalent construction would comprise themounting of a plurality of magnets in the drum and a magneticallypermeable member in the base member 52. This latter construction would,however, be less convenient and more expensive. The important feature ofthis facet of this invention is the provision of a pair of members whichare magnetically attractable to each other, one of such members beingfixed and the other being secured to the rotatable drum.

Before describing the progress of the game and the mode of play, it ispointed out that markers of any desired configuration or shape areprovided, such as markers 92 which are adapted to fit in the chartformed by indicia 24, and markers 94 which are adapted to fit in thechart defined by indicia 28. It may be desirable, though not necessary,to use a color coding arrangement. That is, each of the individualvehicles may be of a different color and the markers 92 and Q4 may bemade of a corresponding color. Conventional material such as coloredplastics or wood is conveniently used. Similarly, each of the markersmay carry the number of the vehicle thereon. Since the use of numeralsand color coding for moving pieces is conventional in board games, nofurther explanation of this facet of the invention is deemed necessary.

Similarly, the indicia on the board may be of different colors. Forexample, the start and stop line 18 may be red or any desiredcontrasting color and the indicia defining the curved ends of the tracksmay be yellow or any other desired color. According to usual practice,attractive contrasting colors will conventionally be selected.

METHOD OF PLAY As previously noted, the track is composed of threeindividual lanes having, respectively, 18, 20 and 22 spaces.

To start the game, each player spins the magnetic selector 50 which isdisposed at the end of the playing board. Obviously, if convenient, themagnetic selector may be removed from the recess 44 but normally it isdisposed at the end of the playing board. As the drum is rotated andcomes to a stop, through the action of the magnetically permeable lugson the drum and the magnet, it will expose indicia through window 82which is marked TIME TRIAL. A plurality of indicia of differentnumerical values are provided for being alternately exposed through thiswindow. In a preferred embodiment, 16 sets of indicia are arranged aboutthe periphery of the drum. It will be understood, however, that thenumber of sets of indicia is immaterial and will depend to some extenton the size of the drum and the desired complexity of the game. Afterspinning the drum and having it come to a stop in various positions, theplayers then arrange their vehicles in accordance with the TIME TRIALspeed registered through the window 82, the player having the highestregistered speed being No. 1, the player having the second highest beingNo. 2, etc. In case of a tie, the tied players spin again until one hasa higher number than the other.

The drivers place their cars in the spaces matching their car numbers,on the side section of the track, with all the cars facing the redstarting line, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Each driver then places hislap marker 92 in the correct space in the car column defined by indicia22 in the center of the track.

The cars advance around the track in a counterclockwise direction. Thecars may advance straight ahead or they may advance from one lane toanother lane, such as to pass a car. Each player is allowed to move hiscar one space, corresponding to a section of the track, or more spacesaccording to the indicia which is displayed through the opening 84,which is marked ADVANCE. As shown in FIGURE 2, if the player should spinthe drum and it should come to a stop as illustrated, he would beallowed to move his car four spaces, or any lesser number of spaces.

A move of a vehicle from one space into an adjacent space is an advanceof one space, whether the move be straight ahead or from one lane toanother, but a vehicle may not move backwards, nor may it pass over anycar. A car may pass another car on either the right or the left side bymoving the appropriate number of spaces. The cars may be advanced all oronly some of the spaces shown in the advance column of the magneticselector, as displayed through ADVANCE aperture 84.

If a car is blocked by another car and the driver cannot pass, he mayuse only the number of spaces that will place his car in the spacedirectly behind the car blocking his advance. No car may change lanes inthe curved section at the end of the track. Each time a car circles thetrack and passes over the red starting line, the driver of that caradvances his marker 92 one space in the lap column 24 in the center ofthe track. The first car to complete five laps is the winner of therace. The next car completing five laps is second, etc.

Play begins by the driver of car No. 1 spinning the magnetic selector,letting it come to rest, and advancing his car the number of spaces orfewer spaces as indicated in the ADVANCE column through aperture 84. Theother players take their turns in the order of the car numbers. If pitstop appears in the ADVANCE column on any players first turn, then theplayer loses that turn. After the first turn, if pit stop appears in theADVANCE column, the player spins again and places his trouble marker 94-opposite his pit in the column corresponding to the trouble whichappears in the TROUBLE column through aperture 86 of the magneticselector. This player makes no advance in this turn but, on succeedingturns, continues to advance his car until he is able to drive it intohis pit as defined by the indicia 26. A player with the trouble markeropposite his pit cannot continue the race beyond his pit. The playerwith his car in his pit spins the magnetic selector, on each of histurns, until the trouble for which his car is in the pit again appearsin the TROUBLE column. The trouble marker is then removed but no advanceis made on this turn. In the players next turn, he can advance his caronto the track and into the race the number of spaces or fewer asindicated by the advance column, unless his car is blocked by anothercar. If a player already has his trouble marker opposite his pit and pitstop appears in the ADVANCE column, the player spins again.

It is important to note that, because of the magnetically permeable lugson the rotary drum and the magnet on the base, the drum will always cometo a stop with indicia being displayed through the windows. Moreimportantly, only one set of indicia will be displayed through thewindows and this set will be fully displayed. Thus, there is nopossibility of confusion or argument regarding which set of indiciacontrols. This has several advantages in play. First, it reduces thetendency for dispute and makes the game move faster. In addition,because the drum can come to a stop only at selected points, it ispossible to place more indicia on the drum surface since the indicia maybe spaced closer together.

In conclusion, it will be observed that a highly entertaining and usefulgame, which closely simulates actual race track conditions, has beenprovided. It will be understood, however, that the specificillustrations and embodiments disclosed herein are exemplary and notlimiting.

I claim:

1. A speedway game apparatus comprising a playing board having anormally upwardly facing playing surface;

indicia on the playing surface defining a plurality of continuous trackswith each track having a plurality of divisions formed therein;

a plurality of movable toy vehicle playing pieces adapted for beingreceived in said divisions;

indicia on the playing surface defining a pit stop chart with a spaceadapted to receive a toy vehicle playing piece;

indicia on the playing surface defining a pit stop trouble chart havingspaces with associated indicia indicating types of trouble;

a trouble marker corresponding to each of said toy vehicle playingpieces adapted to be received in the spaces of said pit stop troublechart for indicating the type of trouble encountered by the toy vehicleplaying pieces occupying the pit stop chart space;

said toy vehicle playing pieces and said trouble markers having visualcharacteristics such that one trouble marker is paired with each toyvehicle playing piece and can be so identified;

a selector; and

indicia on said selector for selectively indicating by chance, at afirst point, either a pit stop or the number of spaces that a toyvehicle playing piece is to be moved, and simultaneously, at a secondpoint, one of the trouble indicating indicia appearing on said pit stoptrouble chart.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said selector comprises adrum;

means mounting said drum on the playing board for rotation about theaxis of said drum; and

a cover for said drum secured to said gameboard, said cover havingopenings therein at said first and second points for exposing selectedportions of the drum surface therethrough, with said selector indiciabeing on said drum surface with portions thereof visible through theopenings in said cover.

3. A device asclaimed in claim 2 wherein a plurality of magneticallyattractable members are arranged around the surface of said drum; and

a magnetically attracting member is secured to said gameboard adjacentthe periphery of said drum for causing the drum to come to a stop onlyat selected positions corresponding to the position of one of themagnetically attractable members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,552,078 9/1925 Paulson 273134 X2,545,644 3/1951 Benton et al 273143 2,588,038 3/ 1952 Pagenhardt273-143 3,057,623 10/1962 Barnes 273134 3,231,279 1/1966 Howarth et al273134 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,439 1904 Great Britain. 572,462 10/ 1945 GreatBritain. 624,595 6/1949 Great Britain. 659,651 10/ 1951 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 273143

